Early warning signs of a learning disability can help you recognize the problem on time and provide necessary support. Let us explore the common warning signs of learning disabilities.

Early Warning Signs Of A Learning Disability

Learning disability comprises of a number of learning disorders, which have a bearing on the ability of a person to speak, listen, read, write, spell, reason, organize information, and do math. Though the problem is not curable, it is not completely limiting either. With proper support, children with learning disabilities can go on to become successful adults, in the future. However, in order to help a child with learning disability, early diagnosis is very necessary. Through this article, we will help you explore the early warning signs of a learning disability.
 
Common Warning Signs Of Learning Disabilities
 
Preschool Children 
  • Evasion of activities like drawing and tracing 
  • Visible unease while running, jumping, or climbing 
  • General clumsiness and poor balance
  • Difficulty in manipulating small objects 
  • Inability to move on to a new idea and sticking to an old one
  • Awkwardness in changing activities 
  • Trouble interacting with others
  • Difficulty in expressing wants and desires 
  • Ineptness while following simple directions 
  • Difficulty in learning new words 
  • Problems with rhyming words 
  • Becoming frustrated easily
  • Difficulty staying on task 
  • Extremely restless and easily distracted
  • Problems with pronunciation
  • Difficulty in understanding questions 
  • Impulsive behavior 
  • Frequent temper tantrums and mood swings
  • Difficulty with basic concepts, like size, shape and color 
  • No interest in story telling 
  • Late talking, as compared to other children
  • Difficulty with cause and effect, sequencing, and counting 
  • Inability to follow directions or routines
  • Trouble memorizing numbers, alphabets or days of the week 
  • Slow development in speaking words or sentences 
  • Preference for playing alone
  • Inability to remember routine (everyday) procedures 
  • Slow vocabulary growth
  • Difficulty in tying shoes, buttoning shirts, or other self-help activities 
 
Elementary School Children
  • Visible lack of common sense 
  • Difficulty aligning columns (math) 
  • Confusion in relation to basic words (run, eat, want)
  • Inability to repeat a story in sequence 
  • Trouble in distinguishing math signs (+, -, x, /, =) 
  • Difficulty in copying from chalkboard 
  • Impulsive behavior
  • Lack of concentration or focus
  • Poor understanding of social situations 
  • Constant errors in reading or spelling 
  • Difficulty finishing work on time 
  • Failure to recall facts or basic sight words 
  • Inability to follow multiple directions 
  • Difficulty understanding facial expressions or gestures 
  • Trouble with letter reversals (b/d), inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home)
  • Poor concept of direction (left, right) 
  • Prone to accidents
  • Trouble in learning about time or counting money 
  • Atypical sloppiness, carelessness 
  • Illegible handwriting 
  • Transposition of number sequences 
  • Poor coordination
  • No awareness of physical surroundings
  • Refusal to accept new concepts, or changes in routine 
  • Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds
  • Unstable pencil grip
 
Secondary School Children
  • Poor essay writing skills
  • Difficulty in proofreading or double checking work 
  • Evasion of reading and writing 
  • Poor reading comprehension 
  • No improvement in poor spelling 
  • Difficulty accepting criticism 
  • Trouble with open-ended questions 
  • Poor organizing skills
  • Inability to summarize correctly
  • Difficulty in learning foreign language 
  • Trouble in understanding other's perspective
  • Poor math skills and note taking skills 
  • Difficulty understanding subject area textbooks 
  • Tendency to misread information 
  • Inability to grasp abstract concepts 
  • Difficulty in seeking or giving feedback 
  • Problems negotiating or advocating for oneself 
  • Trouble with test formats, such as multiple choice 

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